The Nigerian Presidency has confirmed significant progress in the ongoing effort to establish State Police in the country, according to a June 4 statement.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, revealed that a constitutional amendment to establish state police is expected soon. He noted that this follows months of consultations among the Executive, the National Assembly and security authorities.
Citing the President’s Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Onanuga stated that the update was shared in a consultative meeting on state policing.
According to Gbajabiamila, deliberations on the state policing framework began several months ago on President Tinubu’s orders. He explained that establishing state police requires careful consideration of constitutional and legal issues and cannot be implemented hastily.
“Establishing state police is not something that you do with the snap of the fingers. There is a lot involved in terms of constitution and legalities, and thank God we have now gained a lot of traction. Hopefully, the amendment will come shortly, and the details of the amendment will come after that,” Gbajabiamila stated.
The President’s CoS added that discussions have advanced to the level of considering constitutional amendments. However, the enabling legislation is expected to follow afterwards.
“Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law would follow thereafter. That is what we have been deliberating on in the last couple of hours,” he added.
Gbajabiamila highlighted that the state police’s establishment is now no longer about if, but when. He stressed that the President sees the state police as part of solutions to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
Meanwhile, amid these efforts, Nigerians have expressed mixed reactions, especially concerns over the circumstances that could surround state policing. Many suggest that efforts could have been placed on fixing the issues of the Nigeria Police Force. Conversely, others believe that state policing could empower Governors in political endeavors.
